The Cincinnati Bengals have exhibited a lot of patience with a couple of project defensive ends in Margus Hunt and Will Clarke in recent years, but they might start looking elsewhere for rotational backups. Dezmond Johnson is getting his second crack with the club in 2016 after not being signed by the Bengals following a rookie tryout last year, though he did subsequently land on the Tennessee Titans for a brief stint last summer.
Though he wasn't under contract by a team in 2015, Johnson has shown enough to Cincinnati for them to bring him into training camp after being signed in back in May. Though he may have an uphill battle against Hunt and Clarke with their high Draft designations, Johnson brings a different body frame that might be a good complement to the big ends the team often employs. He also might be getting looks at outside linebacker.
Player Info:
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 250
College: Duke
Position: Defensive end
Status: First year player
Pro Day Results: 4.84 40-yard dash; 33-inch vertical jump; 9'8" broad jump; 4.57 seconds on shuttle; 7.23 seconds in three-cone
Contract:
2016 Stock:
Johnson had a solid career with the Blue Devils and was a three-time academic All-ACC selection. In 48 career games, Johnson had 85 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks his senior season alone. Most draftniks had Johnson pegged as a late-round or undrafted prospect coming out of college, but if he can prove to be a bit more versatile while showing growth in his second year, he could land on a regular-season roster.
Roster Chances:
It will be interesting to see how and where the coaches play Johnson throughout camp and into preseason games. He's listed as a defensive end on the team's official site, but he might be one of those "'tweener" guys that teams who use a 3-4 defensive scheme prefer. Will that strike the coaches' fancy enough for him to leapfrog others who seem to be ahead of him on the depth chart?
The only way we see Johnson making the final roster is if there are injuries on the defensive line and/or at linebacker, or if Hunt and Clarke just don't make the necessary developmental leaps. Marvin Lewis loves to use preseason games as the barometer for fringe roster guys, so Johnson will need to make big plays in the limited time he'll see the field the summer.